


Take Me Away From Here

by Pegase



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Forced Marriage, Gay Keith (Voltron), LITERALLY, Lance (Voltron) has powers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prince Lance (Voltron), Werewolf Keith (Voltron), Witch Lance (Voltron), a bit of violence, but hes not altean, didnt know that was a tag, idk what else to add, lance is a magic boy, would this count as witch lance?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2019-06-07 21:04:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15227859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pegase/pseuds/Pegase
Summary: Keith is a known dangerous werewolf, but honestly, he just wants to be left alone. Then suddenly out of nowhere comes a prince, asking him to... Kidnap him?Yeah, Keith is just as lost.





	1. Trespasser

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! First fandom fic in like... Actual forever. Seriously, the last time I wrote fan work was........ actually, let's not bring that up.  
> Anyway, here's a fic from someone who's Voltron Trash and loves Klance
> 
> Also the reason this fic is rated as mature is because there's some swearing involved and sometimes a bit of violence but I don't know if it's going to be super gory or whatever. Just a warning in case that's not your cup of tea.
> 
> Another thing: I don't know what I'm doing.

Keith hated people. Kind of expected for a werewolf that was shut out from society for as long as he could remember. Instead of letting everyone throw stones at him or call him all sorts of names, Keith simply left. Ran away from any kind of civilization, opting to live in a cave far, far,  _ far _ , away from anything and everyone. Contrary to popular belief, caves can be pretty comfortable when you put effort into it and treat it as a home instead of just a cave. All he had to do was skin a few animals (he made sure their death was painless and he would always eat most of it as he could, he’s not a heartless beast), rearrange his cave into something resembling an actual home, skin even more animals once he remembered winter was a thing. Lucky for him, he learned that he could stay halfway through transforming, meaning he still looked humanoid, just had bigger hands, a lot more fur, longer ears, actual fangs, and let’s not forget the eyes of a wolf. Which came in handy on more than one occasion so he figured he would just stay like this. It used to make him tired a lot quicker, almost turning him nocturnal, but he’s gotten used to it now (he just needs to eat more, no big deal).

 

So this is how Keith lived now. Alone in his cave, far away from any living being besides some animals that left him alone most of the time, not having interacted or spoken to anyone in literal years. So it was kind of a surprise to him when he had heard some hushed voices approach his usual hunting place. Keith, with his sensitive hearing, heard them from miles away. Quickly climbing up a tree with dense leaves, he managed to actually hear what the voices were saying to one another without being seen.

 

“Are you sure you saw something?”   
  
“I’m telling you, it was a big wolf  _ at least _ , the thing was gigantic!”

 

Didn’t take a genius to know what, or rather, who, they were referring to. So Keith, annoyed that people came into  _ his  _ space when he did  _ absolutely nothing _ to them, decided to put his foot down and show them whose territory they were crossing.   
  
Keith, in all his half formed glory, jumped down onto the ground in front of the two trespassers. Immediately, the two ceased their conversation, stunned in horror at the sight before them. Rising slowly from his crouched position, Keith was happy to see the very obvious height difference between him and the two in front of him. There was a moment of silence where the three just stared at one another before Keith decided to speak up before the two gained courage.   
  
“Leave,” Keith had growled threateningly, his voice gruff from not speaking  _ in actual years _ and a lot deeper than he remembered. At the sound of his voice, the two flinched before promptly running away. Once the two were out of sight, Keith dropped his scary facade and let out a chuckle. He hasn’t seen any humans in years but they seemed to have changed a lot from the ones that bullied him out of civilization.

 

This is how Keith became an infamous dangerous werewolf.

 

You’d think that being known to be dangerous and that everyone tells one another to never cross your territory would make it so you’re alone, but Keith, unfortunately, received more visits than he had before. Some teenagers that thought they were hot shit, some curious kids that just couldn’t follow their parents’ guidance, and, every now and then, hunters that wanted glory and  be known as ‘the one who killed the werewolf’. Though, it’s thanks to those visits that Keith learned that he had been given a nickname. He was known as the Red Wolf. Why red? That, he didn’t know. It’s not like his eyes were red, or even his fur, or his clothes. The nickname idea was stupid anyway, how could they not make the connection of the ‘big bad wolf’ living far away from any sort of society and the werewolf kid everyone hated in  _ that one town _ ? Someone had to know who he was, right?

 

Whatever, people were stupid.

 

_ <><><><><><><> _

 

Keith got up on his feet, stretching his limbs, earning a few cracks and pops that normal people would definitely be worried about. The fire he set up was a stark contrast against the dark lightning of the night. He would be going to sleep soon, he simply needed a quick snack. Extinguishing his fire, he made his way out of his cave. Many people would have trouble seeing anything, but thanks to his eyes, Keith could see just fine. He still felt a bit of extra energy from the day, just a small bout that could be satisfied by chasing a squirrel. As soon as he made his way into a very dense part of the forest near his cave, he spotted one of the small rodents he was looking for. Immediately, he began chasing it. Climbing up trees, jumping from branch to branch, following it even when it zigzaged when climbing up trunks, or running on the ground. The chase eventually ended before Keith could get too exhausted, gripping the small mammal with his clawed hand, squeezing the life out of it in an instant. Content with his catch, Keith smirked as he sat on a strong branch, beginning to skin it.

 

He put the small coat of fur on his shoulder, beginning to eat, when his ear twitched at a sound. Sounded like rustling, feet hitting the ground, some kind of clothing being moved by the wind. Keith’s nose scrunched up. He was too tired to deal with anyone right now. He figured he would stay hidden this time around. Staying up in his tree, still eating because he was hungry, he listened to whoever was running. From the weight of the feet hitting the ground and the time between each footfall told him this person had long legs and was most likely a bit skinny. Besides the sound of clothing in the wind (cape, towel, coat… something like that), he heard a few distinct jingle sound. Probably another hunter. Great, exactly what he needed. _ (Read: Sarcasm) _

 

Finishing up his squirrel, he was about to leave when the steps grew louder, apparent that they were going in his direction. Groaning inwardly, Keith stayed put, waiting for whoever it was to just run by him. Eventually, they did show up. A slim and tall figure, with a cloak pulled over their head, appeared from behind a tree a few miles away. It sounded like Keith was right from hearing the person running, but he was wrong about presuming they were a hunter. They weren’t carrying any kind of weapon. They were empty handed, actually. Looked like one of those people who wanted to see the ‘Red Wolf’ for themselves. They ran past Keith without giving a second look. Counting this as a win, Keith figured he was free to go.   
  
Or so he would have had he not heard the noise  _ following _ the cloaked figure. A lot more heavy footfalls, what sounded like four feet running, and a very audible growl. A bear growl.

 

Keith hesitated for a moment. The idiot probably approached her baby, not thinking twice about it. Not sure if he should let things play their course or help them out, Keith took a glance in the direction of his cave, as if he would receive an answer from there. As far as he knew, no one actually died in his territory, he always scared everyone away. He didn’t know if letting this person die here would make the visit less frequent or cause the opposite to happen. Seeing the bear run by him, a lot faster than the cloaked figure was, made him pick a choice. Cursing under his breath, Keith traveled from branch to branch, following the running cloaked figure.

 

Keith kept an eye on them, while still being mindful of his footing. The stranger turned their head to look behind them. Keith would have chastised them for not being careful while running in a forest had they not been taught the lesson immediately. They tripped over a root in the ground, letting out a yelp before hitting the ground with a grunt. Keith’s momentum carried him over a few trees ahead of the stranger, his eyes still trained on them. Cloak still over their head, somehow, they tried to push themselves up with their elbows quickly. But the bear was a lot faster and was making her way to them. She let out a loud roar, scaring the person on the ground, making them turn over and crawl back desperately.   
  
Without really thinking, Keith jumped out of his hiding spot to land between the bear and the trespasser. The bear slowed down by getting up on her hind legs, roaring at Keith. This was not his first time dealing with bears, and he could fight them if he wanted to. But he didn't want to. He was still tired. So, he opted for the safer option. Raising up his hands in front of him, he tried to appear as calm and collected as possible, hoping the bear would read his posture. He let out a small but audible huff, the bear picking up on it, going back down on all four with a growl that still implied she was angry but didn’t seem as hellbent on wanting to kill the stranger. Keith put his arms lower when the bear reached the ground and backed up slowly, another careful and confident huff leaving him. The bear stood still for a moment before huffing back at him, turning, and leaving.

 

Glad he didn’t have to fight a bear this late, Keith took a moment to breathe before turning to the cloaked person. Onto problem number two, now.

 

From this angle, Keith could see the person’s face. A boy with sharp features stared back at him with wide blue eyes, probably from fear and shock at seeing him, and a dark tan that made said eyes stand out. The hood was pulled over his head but he could see a few strands of brown hair on the boy’s head, fitting well with his skin tone, and from his shocked agaped mouth, he could see pearly white teeth. Objectively, the stranger was actually handsome. But it’s not like Keith was about to give a shit about this right now. Right now, he was tired and just wanted to fucking sleep.

 

Giving the boy a look that he hoped read ‘leave me the fuck alone’, Keith looked back in front of him and began walking towards his cave. The message must have been read well because the boy didn’t  —   
  
“Hey, wait!”   
  
_ Are you fucking serious? _

 

Keith didn’t spare a look behind him, he could tell just by hearing shuffling and steps that the boy was after him. “Leave,” he ordered instead, his voice was still gruff from the last time he said those exact same words to some teenager who came to him a while back. But, apparently, this boy was different.   
  
“You’re Red Wolf, right? The werewolf that lives here?”

 

The stranger’s voice was loud for Keith’s sensitive ears. He refrained from covering his ears.   
  
“Leave.” This time, he turned to face the boy. As he had heard, he was standing again, a few feet away from Keith. Despite trying to talk to him, he was still scared.

 

The boy pulled and unimpressed face. “Is that the only word you know? Can you even understand what I’m saying?” Keith wanted to punch him, now.   
  
“I should be asking that.  _ Leave. _ ” The boy looked actually shocked that Keith knew more than one word.

 

“Oh, you do.” There was a silence.   
  
“ _ Why aren’t you leaving!? _ ” The boy flinched at Keith’s tone, taking a step back. He seemed to process the question after a moment, clearing his throat. He closed his eyes, gripping the hood around his face and pulling it back. It’s not like Keith hadn’t had time to analyse his face, so the reveal was anticlimactic. Though, when the boy opened his eyes again, a more serious look on his face than before, he could see the blue in them more clearly. Almost sparkling.

 

“I’m prince Lance McClain, from the Kingdom of Erast,” he said in a formal voice, a lot more serious than he had been mere seconds ago. It all sounded so formal, he probably had to memorize this speech and how to stay serious when the time came for it. “And I’m here to ask you to kidnap me.”


	2. Know My Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's reaction to Lance's request and a lot of dialogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again everyone! I felt like I should go ahead and apologize because I honestly feel like this chapter is kind of meh,,, idk, I feel like it's a bit awkward and obviously not the best I could offer and that it kind of does a bad first impression since it's only the second chapter?  
> idk, i may be freaking out here  
> Anyway: A thing I didn't mention last chapter is: uploading schedule!  
> To be honest, I don't have one and I don't /want/ to have one either. It'll only make me stress out and lose interest in this quite fast. So, no actual schedule. I'm doing this for fun and for when I get inspired
> 
> Another thing: my laptop is not doing so good. I don't know what exactly is wrong with it but it keeps shutting down out of nowhere despite the battery being charged. I think I need a new battery all together but I'm not a tech expert.
> 
> Anyway, enough rambling; onto the story!

Keith blinked at Lance.

“What?” Lance readjusted his cloak at Keith's question, standing a bit straighter.

“I am asking you to kidnap me,” he repeated. It still sounded foreign to Keith's ears. Keith looked around, as if expecting something to indicate this was a joke of some sort. He looked back at Lance, who still looked very serious despite what he was asking.

“You're… Asking to be kidnapped?”

“Yes. Do I need to repeat it one more time?”

_He did not need sass, he needed sleep._ Pinching the bridge of his nose, Keith asked, without looking back at the prince, “Why would you want to be kidnapped?”

“See, I wasn't expecting to be asked to open up. I thought you would just do it,” Lance admitted. Keith looked back at him.

“Why would I just accept?” Lance looked at him like the answer was obvious.

“Because you're the Red Wolf? The most dangerous and feared werewolf in the land?” Keith gave the flattest stare he could muster.

“Why would you assume that? I’ve _never_ hurt anyone,” Keith defended. Lance looked surprised, not expecting the answer.

“What? Of course you did! You’ve injured… Uh…” Lance was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth to say something else but he shut his mouth, thinking again. Seeing as he wasn’t talking, Keith spoke again.

“See? I just tell people to fuck off. I've never hurt or killed anyone.” Lance thought again for a while before squinting at Keith.

“Then why are you known as the Red Wolf?” Keith shrugged.

“I have honestly no clue. I just learned it while some trespassers were walking by my cave.”

“Isn’t it because you’re always bloody or something?”

“If there’s blood on me, it’s because of the animals I eat. You know, _to survive._ ” There was a moment of silence before Lance spoke again.

“Then why are you telling them to go? Do you have any evil plans that you hide from the world? Are you working on a giant monster?” Keith would have rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the accusations.

“Or maybe I just want to be left alone? Ever thought of that?” Lance looked at a loss for words. Before Lance could actually come up with anything else, Keith decided he had enough conversation for one day. (It was pretty much his first time having an actual conversation with someone.) He turned, going towards his cave. “Go find some other vilain to kidnap you.”

“No, wait!” Keith didn't. He could almost hear his bed calling him, promising a good night of sleep. Behind him, though, he did hear feet hit the ground before a yelp was heard, followed by a thump. “I can't see anything, hold on!” Keith kept walking. He didn't have time to waste on this, he wanted to sleep. Unfortunately for Keith, the prince gripped him by the arm. “Wait, listen to me, here!” His voice was still too loud for Keith, the volume was grating his nerves. The werewolf yanked his arm away, fixing the smaller boy with an angry look.

“How about _you_ listen to me? I’m way too tired to deal with some fancy prince, asking some weird request, presuming he’ll get what he wants because of presumptions he had on me.” Keith didn’t try to decipher the look on Lance’s face. “I’m gonna go to sleep, now. When I wake up, I better not see you in my territory.” With that, the werewolf turned around one final time, making his way home. Not sparing a look back, Keith heard light footsteps disappearing in a different direction than the one he took. Glad to _just be allowed to fucking sleep_ , Keith made his way to his cave. When he finally got home, he slumped over his makeshift bed (a lot of leaves, covered by fur he had collected over the years, covered in some of his own dead fur. Some may think it’s gross or whatever but Keith couldn’t care less considering it was still comfortable) and passed out in a few seconds.

<><><><><><><>

“Good morning to you, Red Wolf!” Keith woke up with a startle at the loud voice. His body jerked up in an instant, making himself dizzy. Groaning, he placed a hand on his forehead, the sun was hurting his eyes, and he couldn’t really bring himself to wake up. _Who the fuck would wake him up like that?_ He considered trying to go back to sleep when the voice came again. “Come on, wake up! You’re the only one I can talk to that can help me out here,” the voice came again.

_Wait… This was…_

Squinting his eyes at the mouth of his cave, he saw what he had dreaded. The prince was back. Lance stood there, a large grin on his face. He was holding the dark cloak he had last night in his arms, a messy heap that contrasted the prince’s outfit. It looked way too formal and fancy for someone who went into a forest, the boy even had a cape that went down to his ankles, paired with blue and white boots that were never meant to be wore out in the wilderness. Not to mention the white and golden gloves he was wearing would not stay this clean.

Keith, in his dazed state, managed to say very eloquent “What…?” The prince was still smiling at him.

“I need your help,” he repeated. “I’m just curious about where exactly you go when you need to wash yourself.” Lance was quiet for a moment before looking at Keith with an expression that looked like disgust paired with something else Keith couldn’t read. “Unless you wash yourself with your tongue…?” Keith was too busy trying to process _how_ he was still here and _why_ he was there and _why_ he was asking that and _what the fuck time was it?_ Groaning one more time, Keith began rubbing his face, taking a moment to fully wake up and understand the situation. Lance was still here, despite being told to leave, and he woke Keith up, asking if he actually washed himself with his tongue.

_What the fuck is going on?_

“Red Wolf?” Lance’s voice reverberated off the walls of the cave. _Why was he so fucking loud?_ Keith held one of his hands up.

“Hold on,” he grumbled. “I’m not even half awake yet.”

“Can you wake up faster? This beauty doesn’t happen on its own, sadly.” Keith thought about how easy it would be to actually rip Lance in half. Reluctantly, Keith got up, stretching before looking back at Lance. The latter’s smile dropped a little and the werewolf did not miss the small step he took to distance himself ever so slightly from the werewolf. Keith squinted his eyes at Lance.

“Why are you still here?” Lance’s smile came back full force.

“I figured we could talk about that _after_ I clean myself. I did spend a whole night right outside your cave,” Lance offered, mumbling the last bit. Keith really wanted to just tell him off again, but, seeing as he was still here, despite being told to leave, that wouldn’t do. Sighing, he walked out of his cave, noting how Lance gave him a lot of space, signing for the prince to follow him. Lance eagerly followed Keith then.

There was a lake near his cave, a short walk of a handful of minutes from his cave. Once they were there, the taller of the two gestured to it while looking back at Lance, as if the prince couldn’t see it for himself. “Here,” he grumbled. Lance looked a bit unsure, staring at the lake with a weird face. He hesitated before looking back at Keith and opening his mouth.

“I presume you don’t have soap…?” Keith gave him a questioning look.

“Soap?” Lance looked back at the lake then, seeming to change his mind about something with a sigh.

“Nevermind, I’ll just deal with that myself.” Lance waved his hand at Keith, dropping his cloak on the ground near the lake. Keith didn’t bother to try and question Lance’s behavior, grumbling.

“Whatever, I’m going back to my cave to sleep.” Before he could take three steps, Lance was yelling again.

“Woah - and just leave me here!?” Keith looked back at Lance, unimpressed look stuck on his face.

“What? You expect me to watch you or something?” Lance covered himself with his arms as if he had actually took off his clothes despite still being in his royal outfit. “Not to mention you woke me up at…” Keith thought for a second. “A lot earlier than I’m used to. The dew on the grass is still there,” he pointed out, lifting one of his legs, seeing the underside of his paw wet. Lance hummed in thought.

“Considering I usually wake up around five… Maybe we’re nearing the end of six in the morning,” Lance answered simply.

“Six in the morning!?” Keith’s eyes blew wide at the reveal. Before he could say more or actually punch Lance, he caught himself. Pressing his paws in his face and fighting the urge to let them drag along his face to, hopefully, rip the skin off his face, Keith took deep breaths before letting them drop to his sides. “Okay, I really need to go now,” he grumbled, ready to walk off when Lance stopped him again.

“Wait! I don’t know the way back, you have to stay! I’m not asking you to watch, just go behind a tree and wait for me to tell you I’m done or something,” Lance offered.

“The walk couldn’t have been more than _five minutes_ , how can you not remember the way here?” Lance gave him a flat look.

“You might live here and know the whole place like the back of your hand, but I’m a prince from a faraway land who’s barely allowed to step outside my kingdom without at least one guard by my side. I don’t know anything in the surroundings,” Lance explained, one hand on his hip. “So, sorry for not hoping to get lost again.”

“Again?” Lance dismissed his question, basically shooing it away with his hand.

“I said that we’ll talk once I wash myself, turn around and wait for me, Wolfy.” Keith grunted at the nickname but obliged, plopping down behind a tree with a huff. He could always sleep while Lance did whatever he had to do. He’ll wake him up with his loud voice, anyway. He closed his eyes and, after a moment of silence… “You're not looking, right?” Keith would have rolled his eyes had they not been closed.

“I'm not.” There wasn't anything following the question, so Keith figured that was good enough for Lance. It was followed by the slightest sound of metal clinking together, a nice contrast to the prince’s loud voice.

And then that voice came again in the form of a yelp.

“You didn’t warn me it would be so cold!” Keith did open his eyes this time, looking off in the distance in front of him.

“It’s a lake, were you _expecting_ it to be heated?”

“Well, no… But a heads up would have been nice,” Lance retorted. Despite the whining, the quiet sound of water sloshing was heard. Keith let out a breath of relief, maybe he will get to sleep without his whining. He fell asleep almost in an instant after closing his eyes, thanks to waking up a lot earlier than what he was used to. Sure, he may not really know exactly when that was, but he knew it wasn’t even near _six in the morning_. His nap seemed to end too soon, though, with the prince speaking up again. “Rise and shine, sunshine.” Keith grumbled, looking up at the prince, who was fully clothed and drying his hair with the cloak he had on last night. A smug grin was on his face as he looked down at the half wolf. “I’m somewhat decent now, so we can talk, like I said we would.” Keith groaned and got up, rubbing the last bit of sleep in his eyes. “We’re going back to your cave?”

“Sure, let’s talk back there,” Keith said, not even a slight hint of emotion showing in his voice. The walk back to the cave was silent. It’s not like the two had anything to talk about. Once they arrived, the werewolf immediately made his way back to his makeshift bed, sitting on it. He could have offered Lance a seat if there was one, but there wasn’t, so the prince would have to deal with that. It’s not like Keith cared about the prince’s comfort, either way. “Now, tell me, why the fuck are you still here?” Lance put on his serious look from last night, looking down at Keith. Now that he thought about it, Lance was probably taught to do so, since he was a prince and all.

“As I said last night, I’m prince Lance from the Kingdom of Erast. I came here to ask you to kidnap me,” Lance repeated himself. He probably memorized the line or something. His serious facade seemed to crumble a bit, eyeing his left consciously before looking back at Keith. “I would have left you alone, Red Wolf, had you not been… A last resort,” he explained. Keith lifted one eyebrow at him.

“Last resort?” Lance chewed on the inside of his cheek before explaining.

“It’s a bit of a long story, but… Since I’m the oldest of my siblings who hasn’t been married yet, I was chosen to marry princess Allura from Altea, as an alliance between our two kingdoms.” Lance hesitated before continuing. “To put it simply; we don't feel the same way, my parents would never let me even _consider_ the idea of declining, and there are none of my siblings who are of age to take my place, not that I want them to take the burden either,” he mumbled the last part. “So, I came to you.” Lance looked back at Keith with the serious look again, voice loud. “The marriage can't take place if one of the soon-to-be-wed is missing.” Keith let the story sink in.

“So… You're running away from an arranged marriage, basically.” Lance sighed.

“Yes.” There was a silence.

“Why should I care? I'm not really getting anything out of this.”

“Well, the plan was formed before I learned you… Well, you weren't what the tale said you'd be like. I realized so last night, when I thought back on the conversation we had. I thought you would simply do it because you're Red Wolf, but now I see that I have to approach this differently,” Lance answered honestly. “So, no, I don't… Have anything to offer.” Lance crosses his arms, looking away from Keith. “I can’t promise anything either, it’s not like I brought money.” Keith hummed. He was surprised to find himself hesitating here. Keith was a loner, has always been, even if it was pretty much forced onto him. He didn’t like people and people obviously didn’t like him, before and after being called ‘Red Wolf’. He didn’t know much about the outside world, he never knew if werewolves were a rare occurrence, if they were always painted as the bad guys when they weren’t, or maybe they were? It’s not like Keith knew. He never really saw anyone with different physical traits try to pester him, even Lance looked like most humans that came by, and he did say he was from a faraway land. The point was; Lance was like those from his old town, he feared Keith as well without actually knowing if what he did was made up or blown out of proportion.

But Lance was different, obviously. First, he actually admitted to being wrong about him, he realized Keith was a living being, not human, but still a being that was aware of the world around him. Second, he was a prince. Keith never met any princes or princesses before, he didn’t know how they usually acted, but the werewolf was pretty sure it didn’t include asking to be kidnapped. Speaking of which…

“You’re a prince, surely your absence will be noticed. What if they find out you’re here? They’ll have my head for sure.” Lance looked back at Keith, uncrossing his arms.

“I made sure to leave no hints or be seen when I left, I didn’t tell anyone anything either. To them, it’ll be like I vanished,” Lance reassured. “I don’t want to be found again, it’s not like I’m going to purposely going to leave hints of where I went,” he mumbled.

“What if they do?” The last thing Keith wanted was a whole kingdom thinking he was the one to initiate this.

“Then I’ll just tell them it was my idea. If the plan fails in any way, I’ll be the one to be stuck with the consequences. Not my guards, not Allura, and not you.” Keith found himself a bit surprised by the response. He hadn’t known Lance for a long time, barely a full 24 hours, but he didn’t expect him to take the full blame for his plan if it were to fail. Or at least admit it out loud like this. Maybe Lance wasn’t as bad as he thought. Turns out he was learning the same morale.

Lance didn’t have anything for him, he admitted it. But what could Keith even ask in exchange? He didn’t _need_ anything, it’s not like he would have any use for money even if Lance had that on him. He was essentially just asking for Keith’s help, hoping he was generous enough to accept without anything in return.

For a moment, Keith was reminded of his life before running in the woods. How he would have to find a corner to sleep in, hoping no one would see, hoping to not wake up to someone yelling at him, kicking him, throwing anything at him. How he could barely find any food and water, how he held back from stealing any medication when he was sick during winters, how he would somehow survive through _hell_ before snapping out of it and leaving. How he would have gave up anything if it meant someone would have been kind enough, if even just for a moment, to give him a shelter, food, or even new clothes.

Unsure, Keith looked into Lance’s eyes. Where would Lance go if he disagreed? Would he go back to his kingdom despite the life awaiting him? He doubted that, he did say he didn’t want to be found again. Would he live somewhere else in the forest despite clearly not being equipped to deal with nature? The prince would die pretty quickly, seeing as just last night he was running from a mama bear. Keith huffed.

_He’s going to say yes, isn’t he?_

“Fine.”

_Yup._

Lance’s eyes widened. “Wha… You’ll kidnap me?” Keith shrugged.

“Well, I think you asking me to kidnap you goes against the definition of kidnapping, but if you want to put it that way, sure.” Keith tried to not make it seem like a big deal despite the agreement he just made. He’ll be living with someone now, it’s a lot different than living alone. Lance seemed to lose tension, if the slumping of his shoulder was anything to go by.

“Thank you, Red Wolf, it means a lot. I know I don’t have anything to give to you, but I’ll make it up-” _Cosmos, his voice is back to being too loud and reverberating off the walls._ Keith held up one of his paws, using the other to shield one ear.

“Okay, if we’re going to do this, you need to stop being so loud,” he groaned. It shut Lance up quickly. The prince consciously put a hand on his throat, clearing it.

“Sorry.” Lance’s voice was suddenly softer and quieter, more tolerable to Keith’s ears. “I’m used to talk loudly.”

“It’s fine, I’m just glad you can tone it down,” Keith sighed in relief at the difference in tone. At least he won’t get a headache everyday. Keith got up from his bed, offering a paw for the prince to shake. Lance had noticeably flinched when the paw was in front of him, but he did end up smiling and taking it with a confident shake.

“Thank you again, Red. Can I call you Red? I feel like saying Red Wolf over and over is a bit repetitive.” Keith looked back at their held hands (though, because of the obvious size difference, Keith was holding Lance’s hand and the prince just had his hand pressed against his palm) and begun to get lost in thought. For some reason, telling his real name felt oddly personal. Not a lot of people knew it, he was pretty sure he was the only one who knew his real name, he doubted anyone in that town would have even bothered to know. Then again, Lance was going to live with him for… Who knows how long. Keith didn’t feel comfortable to share his name yet. Maybe one day he’ll tell him, but for now…?

“Red is fine.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started this fic I didn't really have much of an idea of where the story was heading, then one restless night I had tons of ideas and thus an actual story was born! So yes, there will be an actual plot besides Lance and Keith getting to know each other, just you wait.
> 
> Art by me (ignore how I can't draw hands for the life of me)  
> Tumblr: pegasethetrashlord  
> Insta: @pegase_gamerish or @voltron_pegase


	3. Whatever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH GOOD LORDY its been a while
> 
> so uh. season 8, huh? that was a thing. I don't think I need to say anything, the 18% it got on rotten tomatoes speaks for itself.
> 
> ANYWAY, IM TRYING TO KEEP THAT AWAY FROM THIS FIC. I honestly just want everyone to have a happy ending. So that's what I'm gonna do. Hope y'all don't mind. uwu
> 
> Fun fact: I actually wanted to upload this on Halloween. I ended up cutting a whole chapter in two and I kinda hate how this one ends and I am so sorry.
> 
> Then cégep kicked my ass, life stuff happened, finals appeared and i got oof'd.
> 
> But now it's all over, Christmas break, and THERE IT IS! Before Christmas, too, so... Guess you can consider this a sort of Christmas gift, for you (and somewhat for myself)
> 
> anyway, i'm gonna stop holding you up from reading, enjoy yourselves.

Turns out living with someone was a lot different than living alone.  _ Who would have thought. _

 

Lance wasn’t so bad, though, thankfully. Sure, the sudden shift from what Keith guessed was a luxurious life to a life of pure surviving was apparent in the way Lance acted. He would scrunch up his nose whenever he ate, complain before and after taking a bath in the river (or chastise Keith for taking a bath once a week. Keith honestly lost count of that one). It was most apparent when it came to skinning animals, though. Keith had to teach him how to do so without damaging the fur or wasting meat. The werewolf must have forgotten how disgusted he had been with himself when he had to do it for the first time, for the sake of his own survival, because Lance had almost vomited on more than one occasion when he had to do it. Lance was starting to settle in; but the boy still needed a bed of his own.

 

While Lance didn’t have a bed, Keith made him sleep on the floor.

 

“You’re making me sleep on the rocky floor of a cave?” Lance had sounded so incredulous. Keith had shrugged.

 

“Yeah.”

 

Lance huffed. “Well, aren’t you a nice host,” came a sarcastic reply.   
  


“I  _ kidnapped _ you. Your comfort is not my priority, you’re lucky I’m even working on a bed for you,” Keith had said, laying down on his own bed, putting his arms behind his head, trying to look more comfortable than he really was. “You’ll get your bed soon enough, princey.” He hadn’t missed the way Lance glared at him at the nickname.

 

A few days later, and here they were. The prince had never looked more relieved when Keith announced that all the fur Lance needed for his bed was gathered. He sighed, rubbing his lower back.

 

“Thank cosmos… My back has never hurt that much before. At least tonight I’ll have something comfortable to lie on.” Keith held up paw.

 

“I said the  _ fur _ is gathered. You still need the leaves,” Keith reminded.

 

Lance blinked at him. “Leaves?”

 

Lifting the fur off his own makeshift bed, Keith revealed a pile of green leaves. Gesturing to them, he explained: “Cushions the floor. Fur helps, but it’s not as comfortable as it could be.” The prince almost looked impressed at Keith’s extra knowledge. The werewolf ignored the look on Lance’s face, he instead began walking out of the cave. “Come on, let’s go grab some leaves.” He gestured for the prince to follow.

 

“How many leaves, exactly?” The prince jogged to catch up to him.

 

“As many as you can carry. Though, since you have smaller arms,” Keith raised his own paws up to compare. (Keith’s arms were  _ scaringly _ long when he was halfways transformed. It wasn’t as evident when he was fully transformed just how long they were, but standing next to Lance made it even more obvious) “I’d say you’d be lucky to do three trips per day.”

 

Lance blinked at him. “Wait…  _ I’ll  _ be grabbing the leaves?”   
  


“It is  _ your _ bed, after all.” The werewolf walked off, waving back without looking at Lance.

 

“Three trips per day? What does that even mean?”   
  


“It usually takes me two days to get the right amount. Not to mention you’ll probably have to sort them carefully, make sure you have enough that aren’t torn… Standard stuff.” (Keith wasn’t going to tell the prince that torn leaves didn’t actually change anything. Give him a break, he has to find a way to have some fun! And the prince is kind of a whiny bitch at the moment, so…) 

 

Lance opened his mouth, clearly ready to retaliate some more, but before a single sound could get out, Keith waved back at him “I’m going to get dinner, you have fun collecting leaves!” The last thing the werewolf heard from the other as he walked off was an annoyed groan, but nothing else. (Keith somehow found immense pleasure in annoying the prince. He didn’t want to look too deep into that. That was just a bad plan that would lead him to find a ‘why’ that he wouldn’t know what to do with. So he just settled on ‘It’s fun to annoy Lance’)

 

Hunting has never been difficult for Keith, even when he began to do it in his first days of being out in the wild. It was instinct, something to thank his wolf half, he supposed. Hunting always had its fun side to it, as well. Not that Keith  _ enjoyed _ killing his prey, but he did enjoy running, climbing trees, and leaping. It used his energy, and less energy means less time to think at night, and more time to sleep. Sure, Keith took a bit longer to hunt now, considering he’s hunting for two now (he would make Lance hunt for his own food but the prince didn’t bring any kind of weapon with him. Now that he thought about it, maybe he should steal a hunter’s weapon the next time one comes around.), but he was still relatively quick. Squirrels and wild rabbits were the main dish, birds and mice would make it on bad days. (Lance had sent the dead animals a pitying look on the first days but quickly learned it was for his own survival. Keith made him realize soon enough that the food he ate in his own castle used to be ‘cute animals’ too, and it helped a lot with Lance’s acceptance.) Anyway, main point here, is that Keith hunts well, and he hunts fast.

 

So he didn’t exactly expect the surprise that was about to hit him.

 

Keith, with his various catches in hand, decided to stop by to where he had left Lance to his own devices before going back to his cave. But as he walked to the area, ready to call out Lance’s name, he cut himself off.

 

Because Lance wasn’t there. Not only that, but one of the trees in the clearing was missing a lot of leaves.  _ A lot. _

 

A lot as in It-looked-like-autumn-had-hit-this-one-tree, _ a lot. _ Keith blinked up at the tree in disbelief. How did that happen? It would take  _ days _ for him to collect that much leaves on his own. Lance had somehow managed to do it while he was _ hunting. _ Confused, and a bit frustrated, Keith quickly made his way back to his cave. As he stepped in, Keith was met with the back of the man he had been looking for. He stood in front of a huge pile of green leaves. Keith noticed his hands were out in the open, though the prince was putting on one of his white and golden gloves, the other stuck between his teeth.

 

“How did you do that?” The prince jerked his head up at Keith’s voice, looking behind him and blinking at his question, as if he hadn’t expected it. Then, he grinned through the glove between his teeth before removing it and putting it on his other hand.

 

“I have a few tricks up my sleeve.” The smile Lance had on his face made Keith want to punch him all over again. “Anyway, I have leaves, a lot of them, so hopefully I can have a bed tonight.” Keith was still trying to figure out how Lance could have done this. Did he have a net or something? “Hello? Red?” The voice brought him out of his thought. “You’re zoning out… You have dinner, right?” Keith looked down at the animals he had caught.

 

“Yeah. Hold on, let me make a fire,” he grumbled, walking off.

  
  


Keith would have honestly been fine with that mystery. Whatever, it’s just one of the many things he would never know the answer to, just like how he doesn’t know why hunters won’t leave him alone, or where the fuck his parents actually were. If he had any. Not the point here, though. The thing was, that was  _ not _ the last time where something weird happened that involved Lance in some way.

 

When the time rarely came that they wanted to take a bath at the same time, it always ended in a fight of who gets to go first. Keith would say that he takes a lot less time compared to the prince. Lance would say that Keith is already used to not cleaning himself regularly, unlike him, and that a bit extra time of waiting won't hurt.

 

Lance would win most of those fights. Mostly because Keith gets tired of Lance’s antics quickly. But one day, Keith did get to take his bath first.

 

“Fine, whatever, go ahead,” the prince had grumbled, walking away from the lake and back towards the cave. Keith had watched him leave until he turned a corner, feeling somewhat triumphant. With a small smile for his small victory, he had turned towards the lake and begun untying the torn drape around his hips. While he had been focused on doing so, a sudden spray of water hit him in the face. Keith ended up spluttering and removing water from his eyes, growling lowly before wildly looking around. Only, no one was there.

 

_ What just happened? _

 

Water doesn't fly out of nowhere like that. Keith has been out there for long enough to know the lake certainly didn't spray water at anyone, nor did it inhabit any kind of fish that would do that. After his (paranoia-filled) bath, he quickly headed back to his cave, seeing a smug-looking Lance sat on his bed before he got up and casually walked past the wolf. Keith didn’t miss how he had an extra pep in his step on his way to the lake.

 

Another weird occurrence happened while Keith had been showing Lance the land near his cave. Keith had needed to go up a tall pine tree to see his surroundings and locate himself. Keith managed to climb all the way up within a good 30 seconds, thanks to his giant paws. He must have taken way more longer to remember his surroundings than he anticipated, though, because next thing he knew, the prince was on the branch under him and asking if “he honestly got them lost?” The questions the werewolf wanted to ask were “How the fuck did you get up here without making noise?” and “How much time did it actually take you to get here?”

 

Keith would have been fine if the leaf incident would have been the only weird occurrence he had with his new ‘roommate’, as previously said. Sadly for Keith, two more came along and got Keith wondering what was actually happening. The logical thing any normal person would do is ask Lance, right? Well, Keith isn’t normal, and he certainly didn’t know any kind of social interaction rules, if it would be rude, or a stupid question to ask… So Keith rolled along, expecting to never get answers.

 

Then, the answer came to him.

 

In the form of a _ weird fucking surprise. (A g a i n .) _

 

Keith had been the first one to wake that fateful day. Seeing as Lance was still asleep and that they would need breakfast, he walked out of his cave into the nearby forest to do just that.

 

Keith knew the forest like the back of his hand, knowing exactly which trees had marks that his younger self had left behind to help with directions during the first months of living on his own. (Sometimes the urge to venture out of the forest, or even to bring himself to learn how to swim just to see where that lake lead to, would come over him. But he’d be reminded of his old village, of the ones who would hope to see him dead because he was different. And so he never let curiosity get the best of him, focusing only on survival.) The forest had a safe aura, at least Keith felt like it did. It was the one place, besides his cave, in which he felt comfortable. That morning, to take his mind off of his old village, Keith took a bit longer, using this moment alone to just listen to the quiet noises of the morning forest sounds. After feeling better, he grabbed three rodents for himself and one for Lance, (one day, maybe, Lance wouldn’t be as disgusted to eat and skin freshly killed animals and would need more than just one small animal) ready to head back home.

 

Keith walked up to his cave after his hunt, about to apologize for being later than usual, only to shut himself up once he stumbled upon the weirdest scene he had come across in his life.

 

Lance was sitting cross-legged in the middle of Keith’s cave, back to him, gloves tossed aside and hands raised in front of him. There was a glowing aura around both of his hands, shining a blue that would remind someone of a cloudless sky. As if this view on its own wasn’t odd, everything in the cave was levitating off the ground.  _ Everything _ . Even the rocks that have been kicked around the cave for years, even the slight layer of dust and sand that accumulated over the years, even bugs that were hidden in the nooks and crannies of the cave. It was all floating. Except Lance, who was in the middle.

 

_ Of course. Magic. Lance was… Magic. Has Magic. Is a magician. Witch ― whatever! _

 

The werewolf eventually snapped out of his weird astonished-confused-impressed state, blinking and stepping into his cave, yelling the prince’s name to get his attention.

 

Unfortunately, as soon as the werewolf’s foot hit the ground of his cave, it was instantly pulled up, floating towards the ceiling, making Keith hang from his floating foot.

 

So his initial “Lance?” morphed into “LaAAH!”

 

Which then caused said prince to snap out of his meditation, the blue aura vanishing instantly. Everything dropped back down.

 

Including Keith’s foot, causing him to fall head first onto the ground of the cave.

 

“Red! You alright?” Keith opened up his eyes, groaning, only to find the prince looking down at him. Despite asking about his well being, his face reflected more of an upset and outraged look. Keith sat up, rubbing the back of his head.  _ Well that fucking hurt. _ Keith took a quick glance around his cave. Everything looked as if it had been dropped gracelessly onto the floor… Which, actually happened because  _ Lance can do that, now? _ A tanned hand found itself in his sight, offering to help him up. Keith hesitated before simply grunting and getting up on his own. (It’s not like Lance could have actually helped, his hand was barely half the size of Keith’s paws. Good luck trying to help lift Keith up when he can do it himself.) He winced and kept a hand behind his head. “Sorry about that,” the prince mumbled, looking at the state of the cave. “Both for your injury and the mess.”

 

“Instead of apologizing, would you mind actually  _ explaining _ yourself? I’d like to know what the fuck just happened _. _ ” Lance frowned, thinking for a moment before sighing.

 

“Well, I wasn’t really planning on telling you, at least not this soon,” Lance rambled. “But uh… Yeah, I… Have powers? I wouldn’t call them powers, though. More like a skill I learned. Though, I was kind of born with it? Everyone always told me I got it from my mom, though I think they meant more like… The patience it takes to learn it? But it’s not like I’m the best of my siblings, so I don’t really see why I-”   
  
“Lance, my head already hurts, I don’t need more of your rambling,” Keith cut him off. “So… you have magical abilities.” Lance blinked at him before nervously fidgeting.

 

“Uh… Kind of, I guess? I wouldn’t call it ma―” Lance stopped talking once he made eye contact with Keith’s expression. “Y-Yeah. Pretty much,” he ended up saying.   
  
“Okay… That explains some stuff,” the werewolf mumbled. He took a glance at his cave, seeing the mess left behind. He huffed, thinking about the inconvenience of it all. Lance seemed to notice where his attention was, holding his hands up with a sheepish smile.

 

“I’ll take care of it! It’s my fault and it won’t be as difficult,” he promised. Just as Lance turned around, the aura back to his fingertips, Keith grabbed his shoulder.

 

“Last time you did, I ended up on the floor! I’d rather not have you…” He gestured at him.  “Witching it up again.” The prince gave him a flat look.

 

“I know what I'm doing when  _ I'm not interrupted _ .” Keith mirrored his expression. “If you're so scared of magic, you can just stand back.”

 

The wolf sputtered. “I'm not scared! I just don't trust you with it now that I've experienced it.” Lance rolled his eyes, groaning to hold himself back from retorting. Instead, he shifted his focus to the mess in the room. He carefully brought his hands in front of him, attention now on something other than bickering with Keith. The latter backed off as he realized so, unsure if he was about to be hit with a rock or something. Instead, the blue aura was back around Lance’s hands, glowing and emitting a faint sound. (Keith would die before he admits that it was sort of calming.)

 

Then that aura spread to the mess in the cave. The leftover fur, the rocks that showed the perimeter of where Keith usually started fires, the leaves and fur of the two boys’ beds… It all glowed in that same blue aura. Keith blinked at the sight before him, as if it would make the scene get back to normal. Things started moving on their own, slowly getting back into place, shuffling and floating. Keith could only stare,  _ gawk _ at what was happening in front of him.

 

Finally, the aura evaporated from everything in the cave, once it was all in place. Lance’s hands had a small delay before the aura dissipated as well, the prince bringing his hands back down, settling them on his hips. “There! It's as if it was brand new!” Lance sounded proud of himself, but Keith was too out of it to even retort anything. Lance turned back to look at Keith, a wide smile on his face. He didn't seem bothered by the wolf’s shock written all over his face. “You can thank me later,” the prince bowed ever so slightly. The other blinked at him before snapping out of it and ending up rolling his eyes, ready to come up with a comeback but the roll actually reminded him of the ache in the back of his head. A small noise escaped him and he put a hand where he felt the pain.

 

Lance noticed Keith’s trouble and dropped his arms to his sides. “You okay?”

 

“Not really. Landed head first on the ground, remember?”

 

“Oh!” Lance was smiling again, but it looked sort of nervous. “Well, I'm not the best, but I can heal you,” he suggested, though his tone made it sound like a question. Keith’s eyes widened before he brought both of his hands up in defence.

 

“No! You are not using magic on me! I don't even- you know what? Magic is forbidden in my cave.” Lance gasped. “You can do it freely outside, but under no circumstances are you doing that in  _ my _ cave,” Keith warned. Lance crossed his arms.

 

“That's not fair! Just because you had one bad experience means its forbidden?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Wha- I was training! I was just trying to get back into my routine, I cannot let myself get rusty simply because I'm kidnapped. Not to mention  _ you _ caught me off guard. I am not to blame, here.”

 

“Not inside the cave. Do so while you're going to go clean yourself, I don’t know.” Lance chuckled.

 

“Right.” He looked back at Keith, quiet for a moment. “Oh, you actually mean it. No, I will not train while I’m cleaning myself, you already ruined it enough with your lack of soap, shampoo, conditioner, exfoliating cream, and other very important products that can make someone smell  _ and _ look decent.” Keith shrugged.

 

“Keeps bears away.”

 

“I bet it does,” Lance sighed.

 

“Look, if you're not happy, you can just go. I agreed to this but I'm not  _ actually _ holding you hostage here,” Keith reminded. Lance grumbled, walking past Keith.

 

“Whatever,” was all Keith heard as the shorter one left, a determined pace carrying him out of the cave.

 

Keith had exhaled, dropping himself onto his bed, grumbling and brooding. _ Whatever _ was the word.

 

And then nighttime came around.

 

Still no sign of Lance. It was morning when he left. Did he actually leave? Keith shook his head. So what if he did? It's his decision, Keith made it very clear that he was free to go. So, Lance had left.  _ Whatever _ . Keith figured it would just be a weird couple of weeks in his boring and uneventful life. Keith stared back at the fire he started. He wondered if Lance had somehow made it back home, or at least, to a town. If he was finally eating something other than a creature he had to skin alive. If he was stuck in the situation he had tried to run from. If he was lost somewhere in the woods again.

 

Keith spent a little more time on that last thought. Maybe Lance had meant to come back? What if he was lost, again? Stuck somewhere? What if he was in trouble with a bear again? What if he was injured?   
  
Keith shook his thoughts away before sighing, pinching the bridge of his nose, brows furrowed. Why should he care, anyway? He didn’t care about Lance’s well-being, nor did Lance even care about him either, he was pretty sure. The prince left, he chose to deal with his issues on his own.  _ Whatever _ . Keith doesn’t care.

 

The werewolf looked back at the gloves left behind.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Letting out a frustrated growl, Keith picked up the gloves before darting out of his cave.


	4. Small Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, been a while.  
> So uh here's the other half of the last chapter  
> I feel like it's really short and nothing much happens but next chapter something /will/ happen, or rather something that will trigger a chain reaction... Should you be scared?  
> Eh, maybe.
> 
> Anyway, here's a pretty short update.

Keith ran out of his cave like a man on a mission, but in reality he didn’t even know where Lance could be at this point. He left around noon and now everything was dark, barely lit by the moonlight. Even though Lance’s legs were smaller than his, he was sure that the prince could have managed to walk a good mile away from here. Keith stopped his forward motion to actually try and think of a way to find Lance. Knowing there wasn’t any other choices, the werewolf let out a frustrated sigh, looking down at the gloves in his hand. Technically, he had a way to find Lance, it’s just that he hated the method. He wrinkled his nose.

 

_ Well, time to look like a fucking creep. _

 

Keith brought one of the gloves up to his face and began sniffing it.  _ Yes _ , it was creepy, and he weirded himself out whenever he used the ability, by accident or willingly. It was useful, don’t get him wrong, he could trace a lot of things thanks to it, but he would prefer it if the ability was a built-in radar instead of having to sniff something until Keith could pinpoint it from miles away. Keith tried his best to focus on picking up a certain scent instead of thinking about how he was literally  _ smelling someone else’s clothing. _ After what felt like minutes but was more likely a couple of seconds, the wolf freed his nose from the glove and tried to pinpoint a certain smell out in the open. Keith stopped himself from trying to describe the smell since it would have just added to the creepiness in this situation.

 

Instead, Keith bolted when he managed to pick up on the scent, running up trees, breaking branches in his way and jumping over roots poking out of the ground. For whatever reason, Keith felt compelled to find the prince, even if their relationship wasn’t exactly… ideal. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. They got into petty fights every now and then, but most of the time, the two weirdly got along. In all honesty, they just needed to learn more about each other instead of staying closed off.  _ Talk about easier said than done... _

 

Keith came back to reality once he noticed that his surroundings were getting less and less recognizable.  _ Great, Lance was about to get them both lost out in the forest. _ Keith didn’t wander off too much from what he saw as his territory, mostly because he never saw the goal, and because he was lowkey afraid of finding himself back in his hometown. He continued to follow the invisible path that lead to Lance nonetheless, hoping he could remember the way back. Because as much as his ‘smell things to know where someone went’ ability is helpful, it’s kind of useless when it comes to finding a way back home since he can’t pick up on his own scent. Keith could only hope that Lance had been there long enough that his smell could be picked up in the cave.

 

Eventually, the smell began getting stronger. As it did, the trees surrounding him became rarer and rarer and eventually lead to a clearing. Keith looked around the unfamiliar piece of land, kind of surprised by its beauty. The grass looked softer (maybe because not many animals came by), the moon was visible in the night sky and the clearing ended a few meters away from him, revealing that it was actually a cliff, standing over a large piece of land. Keith was almost too distracted by his surroundings to notice that the person he had been looking for was right there, sitting near the cliff with his legs crossed.

 

Keith carefully approached the smaller man, stopping once he was a few steps away from him. The werewolf wanted to say something but didn’t know how to initiate a conversation. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, opting instead to look over the horizon. It was dark, but Keith had his eyes adjusted to the darkness and could see over the cliff. There were trees surrounding a river that went down the middle of the clearing, the water reflecting the moonlight and making a faint shine as it rushed down.  _ Did that come from the lake near his cave? _ He shook his head, bringing his focus back to his goal. Right, Lance. He needed to say something.

 

Bringing out the courage he could muster, Keith straightened up.

 

But instead of talking, he simply cleared his throat.  _ Coward. _

 

Lance flinched out of surprise and turned around, shocked expression on his face. It changed once he recognized who was there. He turned to face the view again. “Oh… Red. Hi.” Keith frowned at his tone.

 

“Hi,” he replied lamely. Silence. The werewolf almost growled in frustration.  _ Why was interacting so difficult? _ What was he even supposed to say? Was he supposed to apologize for being afraid of Lance’s powers? As if he’d let Lance know he’s scared of anything… Lance wouldn’t let him live it down. He should find something to say… Anything… _ Just something other than this awkward silence that left the tension high and _ _ — _

 

“You can sit instead of standing there, you know,” Lance informed, sending a quick glance at him. Keith blinked down at him. He… didn’t think of that. Keith shuffled awkwardly before sitting down. He wasn’t next to Lance, more like diagonally aligned with him. For some reason, sitting down with Lance made the silence not as awkward as it used to be. Okay, so Lance was good with… reading situations or whatever. Keith was glad for it, though. He wasn’t exactly a people person (surprising, right?), most likely because he never had the chance to hold a normal conversation with anyone before. (It was surprising he even knew how to speak English, honestly.)

 

Meeting Lance was refreshing, as much as it was stressful at times. Lance was the first person in actual years to interact with him for more than five minutes and didn’t insult him (in a hurtful way, at least) or wanted him dead. While that was great, it also meant that the two can interact and grow a relationship. Keith never had any kind of relationship, hell he could barely remember his parents, so the concept to him was almost terrifying. Getting close to someone, learning everything about them and letting  _ them _ know everything about you, talking… It sounded both fun and stressful. To Keith, at least.

 

Then again, he never had that. Lance definitely had, though. He was a prince, after all, he probably had to do speeches and all that. Probably had a million friends… Did he leave all of them behind for his… plan? Keith still wasn’t _ completely _ aware of the situation Lance was in and what made him want to get kidnapped. Something about being forced to marry this girl… What was her name again? Andrea? They really need to talk more often.

 

“We really need to talk more often,” he ended up mumbling. Keith didn’t realize he said anything until he heard Lance chuckle.

 

“That, we do,” Lance said followed by a moment of silence. “I’m going to be honest… I am… Slightly afraid of you.” Before Keith could say anything, Lance continued. “It’s just… I’ve heard so many tales about you and how you’re this… nefarious werewolf that slaughters all that crosses its path. I have witnessed that you don’t act this way, yes, but… it’s ingrained in my mind, as well as many other things,” he said with a dry chuckle. “So I have been… rather distant.” Lance ends up saying, looking over the clearing below. Keith eyed him for a moment before following his gaze.

 

“It’s fine. I’m not really… Friendly looking.” Keith ignored the small snort coming out of the boy next to him. “And my history with people isn’t exactly good. It can’t all be blamed on me, though.” Keith shifted his eyes once he saw Lance tilt his head at him. He probably wanted more explanation. Keith huffed before summoning some courage. “Before I moved into my cave, I lived in a town, which is probably relatively close to here. I can’t recall the name but I do remember some things. None of them are pleasant, honestly…” Keith was silent for a bit before continuing. “The entire town knew my heritage, I guess I must have been seen turning or something along those lines. Nevertheless, they knew and they hated me for it. No matter what I did or where I went, it was insult after insult and then I got older and it only got worse. I’d wake up to things being thrown at me or kicked when I was found rummaging through garbage to find food. I’m sure there were some who didn’t like to see this but were afraid to make a move and be treated the same. Eventually, it just… Became too much and I ran away. Took me awhile to realize I could do that.” Keith let out a dry chuckle of his own.

 

When he was met with silence, Keith nervously looked back at Lance. The prince was looking up at him with a sympathetic look, one Keith almost mistook for pity or sadness. Keith had never received a look like that. Not from a single person. And that made something inside him churn. Before doing or saying anything dumb, Keith quickly got up, coughing. “We should get back. It’s late, we both need sleep.” Lance looked as if he didn’t expect to be welcomed back into the werewolf’s cave. He smiled and stood up.

 

“Okay.”

 

Keith was about to start walking when he remembered he doesn’t know where he is. Groaning, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “What’s wrong?” Lance walked up to his side.

 

“This is outside of my territory. I don’t know the place, I don’t know the way back to my cave,” he explained. The prince lifted a brow at him.

 

“You don’t?”

 

“No, I don’t wander outside of my territory, since I don’t really have any need for it.” Keith sighed. “So… Guess we’ll be wandering in the woods for a while.” Keith took one step before Lance’s voice stopped him.

 

“Actually,” he said, stepping in front of the werewolf once he stopped walking. “I marked some trees on my way here.” Keith looked down at him, surprised.

 

“You did?” He thought for a moment. “But you don’t have a weapon. Not to mention I didn’t see any marked trees,” Keith questioned. Lance simply smiled.

 

“I marked them in my own way!” He held up his hands before turning around. Before he could do anything, though, he looked back at Keith with a nervous look. “Is it alright if I…?” Keith blinked. He was asking permission before using his magic. That… That Keith appreciated. Before he could read too much into his feelings, he nodded. The prince beamed again and turned back to face the trees, and his hands began to glow.

 

There was nothing at first, then a faint blue light slowly appeared on one of the trees. A few moments later and the spot on the tree glowed bright blue, revealing a hand-shaped mark. Marks resembling this one appeared on other trees, leading down into the forest surrounding the clearing.

 

Keith looked back at Lance and the prince had a smirk on his face. He must have seen how Keith had been somewhat impressed,  _ oh no. Quick, quick, think of something, uhhh… _

 

“Not bad,” the werewolf said in a monotone voice. Lance sighed.

 

“I’ll take it, big bad wolf,” he teased. Keith huffed. “You learn a few things from getting lost in the woods —” Lance started, taking a step forward before cutting himself off with a painful hiss, flinching when his foot landed on the ground.

 

“You alright?” Keith stepped forward, almost placing a hand on Lance’s back. Lance groaned.

 

“I’m fine, it’s just… These boots are not made for walking into the woods. Ugh, pretty sure I have tons of blisters on my feet already,” he whined. Before Keith could even move, Lance was speaking again. “But it’s alright, I’ll manage,” he sounded almost frustrated. Keith watched him as he tried to walk normally into the woods. Keith watched him for a moment before making up his mind. Normally, he’d only do this in case it was completely necessary, but he figured he owed something to Lance for getting them out of here.

 

Landing on his hands and feet, Keith’s body went under changes. What left of exposed skin he had was soon covered by fur. His snout poked out and his gums itched from the extension of his canines. To top it a off, his tail came out. Blinking himself back to awareness, Keith ran up to Lance, stopping besides him. Lance, who had apparently not noticed that Keith hadn’t been walking with him. The prince turned to look at what stood next to him, only to jump and yell once he saw the wolf standing next to him. The werewolf only stared, waiting for him to realize who he was. It took Lance blinking in half confusion and horror at the wolf and him looking at his surroundings (presumably to see where Red had gone) to realize what had happened. The prince also took a quick note of the wolf’s torn up rags on itself, and that’s when he seemed convinced of his theory.

 

“Red?” The wolf huffed in reply. “Oh! You scared me,” he nervously laughed.

 

Keith moved his head, motioning to his back. Lance lifted an eyebrow. “What?” Keith motioned to his back again. Lance took a second to process. “Oh! You want me to… Get on your back?” He asked carefully. The wolf nodded. The prince blinked before smiling sheepishly.  “You sure? I mean you’re a pretty big wolf right now but what if I hurt your back? I mean I’m not very heavy, I’ve been told I weigh close to nothing, but I could still hurt you without meaning to and I don’t want you to get angry at me—” Keith growled, cutting off Lance’s rambling. He gave him a look which he hoped translated into _ “get on my back already, I want to sleep” _ . The prince squeaked. “Alright! I’m getting on, don’t get angry.”

 

Lance hopped onto the wolf’s back and held onto the wolf’s nape (followed by a “If I hurt you, I’m sorry.”). To make sure the boy wouldn’t start rambling again, Keith took off and bolted down the forest, following every tree with a glowing handprint. Lance yelped, fell forward, putting his arms around Keith’s neck, holding on in hopes of not falling off and breaking a rib while also being careful not to choke the wolf. He was trying his best not to scream, but Keith definitely did not miss the tiny yelps and whimpers. That didn’t slow him down one bit, though.

 

They both made it to the cave in one piece. Once Keith stopped walking, Lance carefully got off, legs shaking from the scare. He exhaled a sigh of relief once he was on solid ground again. “That was terrifying. I am  _ confident _ I could have died, oh cosmos,” he said shakily.

 

While the prince was rambling under his breath, Keith opted to ignore him in favor of dropping onto his bed, ignoring the flurry of leaves flying all over the cave. He sighed, feeling exhaustion creep up on him at an alarming pace (changing forms takes a lot out of you). He heard footsteps approaching, but he knew it was only Lance so he didn’t let himself stay on guard. A hand touched the top of Keith’s head, patting it twice. Too exhausted to tell Lance to  _ fuck off and go sleep _ , Keith looked up with tired eyes.

 

“Thanks, Red.” He looked almost angelic.

 

Keith immediately passed out after this and he will forever blame the exhaustion for that last thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! More chapters to come, don't know if they'll be longer or shorter than this one.
> 
> Let me know what you think! Leave a comment or even just kudos make my day.
> 
> Tumblr: pegasethetrashlord  
> Insta: @pegase_gamerish or @voltron_pegase


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